Centre Makes Competency Based Training Mandatory for Government Employees, Informs Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, Apr 2: The Centre has made it compulsory for all central government employees to complete competency linked training courses every year, with their performance directly influencing annual appraisal reports, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

The move is part of a broader shift towards a competency-driven capacity-building framework aimed at enhancing efficiency and role-based expertise across government departments. Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, in a written reply, said the initiative focuses on continuous learning and aligning employee skills with their job responsibilities.

According to him, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has directed all central government staff, including All India Services officers, to complete role-specific courses through the iGOT Karmayogi platform each year. These courses, along with assessments prescribed by ministries and cadre controlling authorities, will now be reflected in Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs).

Singh further explained that the Framework of Roles, Activities and Competencies (FRAC) is being implemented to clearly define job roles and required skill sets—covering behavioural, functional, and domain-specific competencies—across government positions.

Responding to another query, the minister said that data regarding the hiring of consultants is maintained individually by ministries and departments. He added that the General Financial Rules (GFR), 2017, govern the engagement of consultants and external professionals for specific assignments, as administered by the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance.

The clarification came in response to a question regarding the number of consultants engaged by various ministries over the past five years.